Princess and Priestess
by Pork-chizzle654
Summary: Story on hold: Still working on it but need a little vacation. See author page for details.
1. The Thirst

Princess and Priestess

A Kannazuki no Miko Fan Fiction

By Pork-chizzle654

Disclaimer: I do not own KnM nor do I intend to ever vie for such a position. Any characters that are created for this fan fiction are my own. Please enjoy the story.

NOTE: This IS set in the future. If there is anything not understood, bring it up and I will do my best to address it. (Sorry about the long delay in the story.)

Chapter 1: The Thirst.

Blood ran from the corner of her mouth, her head cocked to the side and her eyes were wide in surprise as she slowly turned back to face her assailant. The man was huge, standing six foot eight inches with light brown hair that was done in a ponytail running down his back, the bottom of his face covered in a rough beard. Though he was heavily muscled but he did not put all of his strength behind the slap, she probably would have died if he did. Stern steel-blue eyes glared down at her and for a moment she was sure that another blow was coming. Chikane closed her eyes in preparation.

"Open your eyes, girl," The man demanded as he put his arms around her and hugged her tight, "I have no excuse for doing that. I lose my mind when it comes to you being in danger, please remember that. Ever since I lost your mother, you are all I have. I wish you would quit sneaking out at night. You are a princess."

The woman let herself be buried in the huge arms of her father, her sapphire-blue eyes pressed into his broad chest and her long midnight-blue hair pressed to her back in the firm embrace. She knew it had been wrong for her to sneak out of the castle so late at night but she always felt so trapped. It was not the first time and she was actually surprised she had gotten away with it for so long before she was punished. Of course she never expected her father to actually strike her with enough force to make her bleed.

"It was my fault for insisting on leaving," The woman said as she slowly parted from the big man's grasp.

The man shook his head and wiped the left-over blood from the corner of her mouth, "No, that was uncalled for. It is late now so you had better get to bed."

"What about you, father?"

The man smiled reassuringly at her and turned with a flourish, "I will sleep in a little while, there is a little more work for me to do."

"Okay, goodnight, father."

With that the woman exited the room and walked down the ornately decorated metal corridor to her room. It was a heavy oak double door meant to repel attack should anyone get inside the castle but it made it a pain for her to open the huge entrance. Inside was lavish with a huge bed that had girlish frills and big stuffed animals that Chikane had never really liked. It was not as if she was a tomboy but her father kept trying to force his image of a perfect daughter on her as if his life depended on it. In public he was an unforgiving bear of a man that could never be bested in battle. In private, however, he was as doting as any other father that cared too much for their daughter. With a sigh, Chikane flopped face down on the bed, her slender form splayed out with her face half-buried in the thick bedding that covered her bed. It had been an excruciatingly long day and she did not even feel the energy to climb under the bedding. She never told her father but the real reason she had been sneaking out of the castle was because she was lonely. Though there were plenty of people in the castle they were all soldiers and too wary of her to even consider being her friend.

The woman rolled over and sighed before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep. There was no person in the castle that could predict the turn of events that would once again lead Chikane to leave her home and follow her own path to find her destiny.

(World Wide New)

_The world had been thrown into chaos by constant wars and hatred towards religion and government of countries that had nothing related with each other. Where there were suppose to be great advances in technology, there was only ruin and set back. Cars existed but only in a few minor communities, there were all the refinements of the late nineties but not of the material to make any replacements for the technology. The greater part of the center of America was a dust bowl, most of the countries in the north were frozen, and even parts of the island countries were either too hot or too cold to sustain any kind of peaceful life. Those places that had high populations were halved, China and Japan being hit the hardest. Tokyo was filled with closed shops, barren streets, and ruined buildings. Governments in Japan had gone backwards with many lords ruling a region and an Emperor to oversee everyone. Those territories that were held were only held by the force of an army and the power of a ruler. Great castles were built from the cannibalization of defunct sky scraping buildings._

_It was not until late into the 2200s that everything stabilized enough to be able to live with some form of peace, but even this peace was set off by rebels and fools. The world had become a desolate place full of injustice and crime. At least the long standing war was over._

(Daymn!)

It was night when Chikane woke, she had only been asleep for an hour before sounds from outside her chamber woke her. She realized idly that she had not changed into her night clothes and slowly she rose from the bed to pad across the floor and peak outside the heavy door. As she did, Chikane was witness to soldiers running frantically back and forth with weapons in their hands. The young woman disappeared back inside the door and made to change into her sleeping clothes, figuring that whatever the alarm was would be dealt with. It was only on chance that she noticed a petite female figure perched on her widow sill wearing a black dress with a bandage wrapping her head and covering one eye. An amethyst eye stared into hers, or were they red? No, they were definitely amethyst, lack of sleep was probably catching up to her. Blond hair framed the woman's delicate face and she was holding one black gloved hand to her injured face with seething pain. Chikane could see that her boots, leather and as black as the rest of her clothing, were barely holding purchase on the sill of the window.

For a good minute the two were held in one another's gaze, spellbound by the sight that lay before them but neither of them knowing the others thoughts. Then, as Chikane watched, the young woman finally lost her footing and started to fall backwards out of the window, which was not a little ways off the ground. There was no conscious effort put into the next movements, the dark-haired young woman lunged with all her speed and grabbed at the rapidly fading arm of the blond woman grasping firmly and pulling with all of her strength. To Chikane's surprise the woman was around the total estimated weight of a single feather. This miscalculation caused her to stumble backwards with the blond girl flying into her arms and making her stumble into a chair just behind her. The two finally came to rest with Chikane's legs draped over the chair and the woman embraced on top of her.

Suddenly the weight of the woman returned and Chikane found it difficult to move from her position on the floor. It was apparent that this young woman on top of her was in no frame of mind to think to clearly as her crimson face lay inches away from the softness of Chikane's lips. It was like an eternity then, passing just for the two of them in a world that was only theirs. Ever so slowly the young woman on top of Chikane began to drop her head ever lower, intent on stealing a kiss from the woman. Or perhaps it was just wishful thinking on Chikane's part. Sadly, her want was not answered this night as a knock sounded at the door and the blond woman became suddenly alert of her surroundings. With a quick motion more like an animal than a human, the woman leapt to her feet and made for the window.

It was about this time that Chikane finally regained control of her mind and she leapt to her feet, "Wait! Please, at least give me a name."

There was a pause and the sound of pounding on the door became louder, the blond turned her head but kept her body facing towards the window, "I will not right now."

With those last words the woman disappeared out the window the the door to Chikane's room burst open to a sea of armored soldiers. Seeing Chikane staring at the window the rushed to see what was there and found nothing. In the back of her mind Chikane knew that she had just met an enemy face to face and survived, but she would keep it a secret for herself. There was something she could not place about the blond woman's face. It was familiar and yet far away. Scratching at the edge of consciousness like a stray cat demanding to be let inside.

(Peace and War and Confusion)

_In the time following peace there were many reports of beasts, humanoid in appearance, that would attack people in the cover of darkness. It was never really known if these beasts needed to travel in darkness but since nobody ever saw them during the day it was assumed that they would not touch someone in the day. Some even called these beasts vampires as they would sometimes find corpses with fang marks in the neck, their body withered from what was assumed to be the lack of moisture caused by drinking blood. None of this was ever proven because these unknown beasts were never caught. Fear became great and soon hatred towards the fellow man was aimed solely at these unknowns. Hunting parties were formed and soon there was an all out war among humans on the beings. The only place that remained neutral towards the beasts was Japan and so many of them migrated to the outreaches and only ventured into the community at night to feed on the humans before retreating back to the safety of their solitary hiding grounds. Before long Japan, the last safe haven, could no longer overlook the beasts and war began there as well. Peace among the human race meant war with another race. A scapegoat had been created._

_The truth was they were not vampires and they did not suck blood. They did feed on humans._

(Huh? Vampires?)

The next day Chikane was not allowed outside the castle. Her father was on edge and deeply disturbed by the fact that there was a person that had made their way into the castle to be discovered in his daughters room. Chikane did not see what all of the fuss was, she had not been hurt even though there were plenty of chances for the intruder to do so. It was all a waste of effort. Most of the day she just wondered from area to area inside the wall of the castle and sighed discontentedly while guards peered at her out of the corner of their eyes. There was absolutely nobody in the castle that would even talk to her. As the hours passed she only felt more and more lonely and finally she gave up and decided to seclude herself in her room until such time as she felt the need to sleep.

When night came there was only silence and Chikane felt as though it was a world that was separate from the one she knew. Even the guards outside her door where quiet and there was no wind blowing by her window. It was unnerving and sleep came slowly and hesitantly to the young woman, but it did eventually come. She woke again during the night when a soft caress brushed her face and Chikane opened her eyes to see a familiar blond haired young woman smiling at her. Looking over at a clock there was proof that she had been asleep for a couple hours. There was no commotion outside and there was a feeling of relief as she slowly sat up in her bed.

"I did not think you would really come," Chikane said as she put a hand to her chest, "I thought that they might have captured you."

The blond smiled, "No."

Chikane found it strange that she was not afraid of the girl in front of her, "Are you really dangerous."

"When I'm hungry," The young woman answered, "I feed on humans unfortunately. But... I don't like it..."

Chikane placed a reassuring hand on the girls shoulder, "Lets forget about that for now. You said last time that you would give me your name when you came back. I am Himemiya Chikane."

Hesitantly the girl answered back, "Kurusugawa Himeko."

In the pause that followed there were the sound of footsteps from the other side of the door and both of the young women were on edge, "I was hoping to talk to you."

Himeko blinked at the sudden words, "About what?"

Chikane blushed and cleared her throat quietly, "I truthfully do not know. I do not have much practice with casual conversing as I have not been out of the walls of the castle much. What do friends usually speak of?"

"Friends?" Himeko was wholly surprised by the word, "Never has a human called me a... friend. Usually they call me a killer."

This confused Chikane, "What? Are you not human?"

Himeko shook her head, "No. I understand now why you do not treat me like the rest. If... if you wish I will.. leave."

"Nonsense!" Chikane grabbed the girl roughly, scaring her to the point that she nearly ceased to exist in the world, "I just met you. You may not be human but you can not be all that evil. After all, you have had many chances to kill me."

There was a long silence and suddenly Chikane noticed the footsteps halted and voices sounded from beyond the door. It was obvious that someone was demanding to be let into the room and Chikane quickly drew the young woman under the bedding, selecting a large stuffed animal and placing it close to her to hide the bulge that her friend left. She was hoping that whoever was on the other side of the was not attentive enough to realize that it was strange for her to sleep with a stuffed animal. The person who step through the door was her father and there was a cold feeling in Chikane's stomach as she saw the man give her a quizzical look and start to walk towards her. Panic started to take its hold on the young woman and she tried her hardest to think of something to get the big man to turn away. She came up with nothing in the end.

"I'm glad you are okay," The man said as he sat on the edge of the bed and placed a hand on her side, she did not turn to him for it would give away her secret, "Even my cool daughter seems to have a girlish side to her. I never would have imagined you would sleep with a stuffed animal."

Chikane muttered back, "I was scared after the intruder appeared."

"That is understandable. I am sure that you are very tired so I will let you sleep. Goodnight my daughter," The man stood and exited the room.

Chikane quickly threw the bedding off and looked to see the young woman next to her breathing heavily, panting. Her amethyst eyes were flashing with an evil red glow and a single fang protruded from the right side of her mouth. She still wore the bandage over her eye and there was no way to confirm if the other eye was even there but Chikane was sure it would look the same as her right eye.

"What's wrong, Kurusugawa-san?"

In breathless gasps the girl pulled Chikane close and brought her lips to Chikane's ear, "I need to feed, when I get too hot."

Fear gripped Chikane then and she pushed the young woman out of the bed. The pain of landing on the floor was probably less than what the dark-haired woman felt as she saw the hurt expression in Himeko's face. Slowly the young woman rose from the floor and started to walk dejectedly towards the window. Behind her Chikane felt fear give way to disgust with herself and she clenched her fist and rose briskly from the bed and paced across the floor to grab her new friend by the arm and spin her around. Without hesitation she brushed her hair back and exposed her neck for the blond to see. There was surprise that gave way to a smile and then a full laugh as Himeko fell against Chikane. Though she seemed happy, Chikane could feel the warm dampness start to spread over her chest and moisten her nightgown.

"You seem to not know what you want to do," Chikane said with a smile.

Himeko nodded and her hands balled into small fists as she pushed herself away from the woman in front of her and looked into those sapphire colored eyes, "I thought you would hate me for revealing my true nature. When you came up to me like that I was surprised and confused at first, before I realized you were saying I could use you for a meal. It's just, that's not how we get our food from humans. My species has fangs as more of a cruel joke than a tool for feeding."

Chikane blinked, "Then how do you feed?"

There was a hesitant pause before the blond blushed and tried several times to speak before she looked down and whispered, "...esir..."

For her part, Chikane could hear little of what was said and had to lean in closer, "Pardon me?"

Himeko tried one more time and quietly managed a whole word as her face became even more inflamed, "Desire."

At this, Chikane blinked, closing her eyes and scratching her head, "I am still not positive of the meaning of your words. What 'desire' are you talking about?"

"Please don't make me say more!" Himeko said a little to loudly, desperation in her voice.

Chikane rushed forward and put her hand against Himeko's mouth, looking hesitantly at the door to her room. After a few minutes it was clear that nobody was intending on entering the room and the two girls calmed slightly. The pause in the conversation was enough to give the both of them time to breath and finally Himeko calmed. Until Chikane suddenly seemed to realize what the blond had meant.

"Oh! Like a succubus!"

At this Himeko immediately gave a small embarrassed sound and her face lit up again, "No! Well not really... Just a little... Nothing too bad okay!"

Chikane grinned evilly, "So would this desire be sated by a simple kiss or is more needed?"

"Well a kiss should be fine," Himeko admitted, though she was a little disappointed with herself at that fact, not as if Chikane would go along with her wishful thinking anyways, "but you have to promise me one thing."

"What is it?"

Himeko became desperate, "If I start feeding too much, stop me any way possible. You may even have to kill me."

"Wait," Chikane said, "I won't, you are a friend. I cannot possibly kill you."

The blond grabbed her friends arm and look into her eyes, "It is because we're friends that you must do as I ask. I could never live with your death, I will not ask you to live with mine, but I can't kill myself."

Something in that statement confused Chikane but she decided to save an explanation for later, because for her it would give hope to have something to ask, "Fine, but you will answer my questions later."

With a nod Himeko slowly started to move forward and a hesitant kiss formed between the two, built of hunger and giving way to an unknown passion. Int he midst of her pleasure, Chikane did not notice her friends eyes starting to glow red. She most definitely did not notice the labored breath that matched her own as the two lost their senses to lust. Time passed and eventually the kiss became more and more active until Chikane finally felt a tongue work its was between her teeth and start to search her mouth. To say she lost it was an understatement. The dark haired girl pushed the blond away and started to pant as she tried to get air back into her starved lungs. Himeko was on the floor with a dazed look on her face that shortly gave way to comprehension and she stood quickly and made for the window.

"I have to go," The blond said quickly as she saw light starting to rise on the horizon, "We can only travel at night to avoid harm."

Chikane sat on her bed weakly and glanced at her out of the corner of her eye, "Will you be back."

Himeko gave a smile, "I guarantee it, please wait for me."

"I'm glad," Chikane fell back on the bed with her legs draped over the edge.

Jumping to the window sill, Himeko turned one last time and said, "Thank you for being a friend."

Chikane did not respond as her eyes were closed and Himeko turned and leapt from the window and disappeared into the rapidly fading darkness. Only the gentle rise and fall of Chikane's chest told that the girl was only asleep from the drain of energy. It was the best sleep she had in a long time.

(Chiiigaou!)

So I think this turned out good. I think... it is really up to the reader. I felt the small background sections would let people know what was going on while not detracting from the main story line so I left it as is. Background is important but it does not good if people lose interest in what is going on. Depending on reviews this may change but for now expect the same. Yes Chikane and Himeko will fall in love, no it was not be right away as my other story did that a little TOO quickly I felt. Also, there are no vampires in my story. The reason is that I do not believe that Himeko as a vampire makes sense in the first place and they are way too overused as it is. Yes there are similarities but try to think of her as more of a toned down succubus than a vampire. Any other questions will be answered either by me, if I do not intend to answer them along the way, or in the story itself. Thank you for reading.

In case you were wondering, Chikane is the princess and Himeko is a priestess. You will see what I mean in future chapters.

(Hey, someone had to keep the KnM stories coming.)


	2. Setting Off

Princess and Priestess

A Kannazuki no Miko Fan Fiction

By Pork-chizzle654

Disclaimer: I do not own KnM nor do I intend to ever vie for such a position. Any characters that are created for this fan fiction are my own. Please enjoy the story.

NOTE: This IS set in the future. If there is anything not understood, bring it up and I will do my best to address it. (Sorry about the long delay in the story.)

Chapter 2: Setting Off

Most people would say that Chikane was, at very best, content with her life in the castle. There was food and bath any time she wanted, a warm bed and protection from the outside world. Protection was one thing she felt might be in overabundance around the castle. Everywhere she went there were guards following her, even standing outside the bath when she went inside for a little private time to herself. There were times she felt suffocated by the lack of freedom. In the end she had accepted it as a normal part of her daily life. Even when she had gained the courage to sneak outside she had never went outside the walls of the castle. Chikane had no view of the outside world from where she was, she only knew it looked run down and decrepit.

Coming from such a background it was no surprise that the guards were confused when the young woman exited her room while humming happily. In the many years the two had been watching over the young woman they had never heard such a happy sound float from the girls mouth. Chikane stopped and looked at the two as they stared unnervingly at her, eyes questioning her of her identity.

"Oh, Akira, Bontaru, good morning," That she had knew their names was a relief but the fact that she had said them in such a cheerful way was not something to be relieved about.

"Princess? Are you feeling alright," Akira asked, "Usually you are not so... cheerful."

At this, Chikane seemed to think for a second before she shrugged, "Maybe I just found something to be happy about."

"I see," Akira said before bowing and returning to his post, "Forgive my intrusiveness."

This is what always happened when Chikane tried to make conversation with the guards so she was use to it. Even though she was use to the lack of conversation there was still a sense of sadness when they refused to actually talk to her. It was not as if she was asking much but at the same time she knew that her father was not all too forgiving if he thought one of the guards was going after his daughter. She would not tell her father the exact reason none of them would ever have a chance with her, but Chikane had voiced her opinion on the matter many times before.

Walking down the hall, Chikane found herself near the guard chambers and stopped when she heard to castle guards talking, "You think that princess will ever realize?"

"Realize what?"

"About the king."

"Oh, you mean that he is not really the king."

There was the sound of armor striking armor and then, "Shut up you idiot! Yes that's what I'm talkin' about. I guess since it happened at a difficult time in her life she just ignored the differences, but she's going to realize sooner or later."

"Don't worry," The voice became lower but Chikane could still make it out, "I hear the king has a plan for that. One that involves an accident."

"Where did you hear this?"

"From a little bird."

That was all the princess needed to hear, her heart went cold and the cheerful mood she had been in previously was gone. Replacing it was hatred and rage towards the man she had called father for so many years. To learn that he was not her father was something that could not be forgiven, not because he was not her real father but because he had gone through so much trouble to hide it from her. With anger in her steps she marched rather quickly towards her father's chambers and forced her way through some very surprised guards. Once inside she slammed the door behind her and the few people in the room with the king looked up in surprise.

"What is going on father?" The young woman demanded.

The big man blinked, "Excuse me, daughter, what is it you are angry about?"

Chikane marched up to the desk the man was sitting behind and slammed her hands down, "I heard a certain rumor going around about you."

At that the man held up a hand and beckoned his advisor to his side, "We will conclude this for today. I will summon you if I need more."

The man nodded and silently exited the room, the other people leaving behind him and leaving only Chikane and the man she called father in the room. There was a long pause between the two before the big man stood slowly and sighed. There was much he needed to discuss and he had to make absolutely sure that there would be no interruptions. There was a quick search of the room before he returned to his seat in his chair and motioned for Chikane to take a seat across from him. She stayed were she was.

"I heard some guards talking about you."

The man smoothed his beard idly, "And just what was it they were saying?"

Chikane was reeling, even now he seemed unwilling to admit what had happened, "They said that you were not really my father. That you were not the real king."

"King, huh?" The man took a large breath and sighed deeply, "I see, I imagine you would be a great deal enraged by that. I assure you that it was for your own safety, however you may think differently. There is no way I can underplay this because I know for a fact that you are not that lacking in intelligence."

Chikane was not expecting this. She was expecting, no hoping, that he would deny it vehemently, "What?"

Leaning forward the man shifted in his chair to get more comfortable and continued, "The truth is that your father had a twin brother who had to take over for him due to illness. He did not want to let you know because he knew you would be sad. All this time he told me to look after you and make sure you were alright, that you did not get hurt."

"So you locked me in the castle walls," Chikane stated as she sunk into the chair, left unable to stand by the news.

The man chuckled solemnly, "I suppose I could see why you would think me a monster. Believe me though, I meant only to protect you. I had no intention of imprisoning you. I cared very much for my brother and his wife."

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Chikane replied, "I see, so you have raised me since when? And what do you mean you cared for my mother?"

"I raised you since you were ten," the man paused and looked away, "And I mean I truly loved your mother. That is a long story in itself but you already know the important ending to it. I could not stop loving her but at the same time I could not steal my brothers happiness."

"So all this time, you lied to me."

"I would be a fool if I said no at this point," The man replied, "Except for the fact that I really do think of you as my daughter. When I first started it was duty but eventually it really started to feel like you were important to me... That is why I could never admit it to you."

The pause that followed was only broken when Chikane stood slowly and made for the door, "I need to think."

"That is fine," The man did not dare to stop her.

In the end he was left staring at a heavy door in an empty room, far more empty than it had ever seemed.

(Dot. Dot. Dot.)

_It eventually came to be that the beings that everyone initially thought were vampires received a slightly different name due to their non-malevolent nature. The new name for them was not much better than vampire but it was better suited to them, leeches. Leeches were not known to attack people unprovoked. This fact could be denied by no one. In the absence of malevolence there were no attacks on humans which led many to believe they were sent from another place to judge the remaining humans. There were even some who started holy sects that worshiped the beings. The truth about these beings was something far worse than anyone could realize. A leech was, in essence, the total cumulation of one person working to negate the effect of human desire. The goal was to make a better world, free of desire that brought hate. The experiment never got that far for the Great World War started shortly after that, called such because everyone was fed up with everyone and a kind of military free-for-all started between countries. From this there was much destruction and most land became either unlivable or uninhabited. All information on what the leeches really were was lost when the lab containing the information was destroyed in the war. The only thing that could be verified was that a number of the genetically engineered beings had escaped._

(War!)

In her room, Chikane made up her mind once in for all. It was not because she hated the man she had learned was not her real father. She did not hate him for what he had done. It made her angry but she could not deny that the man showed her real love when he raised her. Simply, she decided that there was a path in the world that she was meant to find and she was currently not on it. The only way to find out her way in life, and to end the confusion in her heart and mind, was to leave the castle. Leaving did not mean one of her short rebellious night trips. She would be gone for some time, and if she was not allowed to do so with permission she would go anyways. It was not like there was anything here that could stop her from leaving.

Chikane knocked on the door to the kings bedroom and a few seconds later he answered tiredly in casual night clothes, "Oh, what is it you want, Chikane?"

For just a second doubt flashed in her mind but this was quickly replaced by resolve, she set her will, "I am going to leave the castle tonight."

If the man was surprised he certainly did not show it, "I expected you would want to leave eventually, though I never expected it so soon. The only thing I ask is that you send an occasional letter."

The dark-haired woman paused and almost lost her resolve once again, "You will not stop me?"

"I simply do not feel that I have the right to do so," The man said, "Your life is your own. You probably feel angry and confused at the secret I have been keeping so take some time and figure out what you want to do. Just know that you are always welcome back. I meant what I said, truly you are my daughter. Even if not by blood."

Chikane nodded, "Thank you father."

With that she was gone from the door and heading back to her room. Though Chikane did not have an idea of where she was headed, the first step was to move down the path. She had a feeling that with the help of her new friend she would be able to do just that. In the midst of packing what Chikane would need for traveling, Himeko appeared and silently watched as the young woman went through her belongings. The blond could not know what happened in the castle but she probably would have tried to stop her friend if she knew the plan previously.

"What is Himemiya-sama doing?"

Chikane turned, only slightly surprised by the voice, "I'm making preparations, and you do not have to be so formal."

Sitting on the bed and playing with a small stuffed animal, Himeko commented idly, "It looks like you're leaving."

"I am," Chikane turned and looked at the girl seriously, "If you would take me with you it would be for the best. If you do not want to... I am going either way."

The blond set the stuffed animal down and looked at the floor, "You've never been outside, have you?"

"No."

Himeko did not look up, "It's dangerous out there. Especially if you travel with me."

"I am beyond caring right now," Chikane's face was full of seriousness, "I am leaving with or without you."

Though Chikane's words hurt Himeko greatly she hid it well, instead standing and walking over to her new friend, "If you wish to go outside then I will go with you. It is too dangerous alone, but we must only travel in the darkness."

Nodding, Chikane slung a duffel bag over her shoulder, "That's fine, I am ready to go whenever you are."

Himeko nodded but hesitated for a second, "We need to be careful, it's important that we are not seen by humans."

"I know," Chikane said, "Even I am not so sheltered to think traveling with a Leech is safe in any way."

"So you really knew."

Nodding slightly, Chikane walked forward and placed a hand gently on Himeko's shoulder, "I did not make the connection when I first saw you but later I realized. Do not worry, you are still my friend."

The blond looked up at Chikane, "We should go now."

Chikane nodded and the two headed for the window. Though she was not sure how it would work, the fact that Himeko was not hesitating meant she had a plan. The young woman would trust her friend. That trust would allow her to have a once in a lifetime experience. Himeko suddenly lifted Chikane in her arms and leapt gracefully out the window. For a second, Chikane felt terror until she looked at the calm face of her friend and realized that this was what she had intended from the beginning. The two of them were not so much falling as floating. The ground slowly approached and Chikane looked to Himeko and was even more taken in by how surprisingly majestic she was. Her normally reserved personality was almost totally gone now. The dark haired young woman felt her heart beat a little faster in her chest. Such a strange unknown feeling made her think that maybe it was just the excitement. Chikane could never know that Himeko was feeling the same way for the first time in her life and that she had never taken initiative like this before in her life.

The ground closed in on them and the two young women gently landed, Himeko placing Chikane on the ground. It took a few seconds for the two of them to recover from the strange feeling but when they did there was a quick escape towards the exit of the castle. Himeko told her friend that they would meet outside the walls once she was through, for it would be easier if they separated to keep guards from being suspicious. Chikane agreed and the two of them separated while the princess talked to the guards and convinced them to let her pass through the gate. It did not take much before the two young girls met up once again and started out on their journey together.

The night was cool and the world was completely different than Chikane would have ever thought. Everywhere was in ruin and overgrown with plant-life, as if the buildings and plants were attempting to bond together and become new lifeforms. Around the city could be heard the rustle of animals walking wondering past and overhead were flying creatures that surveyed the ground for food. Even though her castle was the epicenter of all of this, she had never considered that all of this took place outside the walls of her very own home. Chikane turned idly and surveyed the big building that she had called home for sixteen years and was astounded by how out of place it looked. There was nothing even remotely run down about it. Even the parts that had been placed together like a jig-saw puzzle could not be noticed.

"Are you regretting your decision?"

Turning to Himeko, Chikane shook her head, "No, I simply did not realize how out of place the castle was compared to everything else."

The blond stopped and looked back, "It is like that in many places. My people think of those monuments as eyesores."

"Your people, huh?" Chikane though as the two walked at a relaxed pace, "I really do not know much of your kind. Or you for that matter."

"You are very kind," Himeko commented as she matched Chikane's pace easily, "For you to accept me like this without reservation."

Chikane glanced at the blond out of the corner of her eye, "So how did you get hurt anyways?"

"It was a small mistake," The blond was not depressed but there was a hint of sadness in her voice, "I just got a little careless and paid the price."

"So you cannot see out of your left eye?"

"All our injuries heal with time," Himeko said a she reached up to touch the bandages, "My eye is still there but there is a part of my face that was hurt. I must wear this to protect my eye from debris."

Chikane was silent after that, but not for that long, "It must be hard for you. I could not imagine living without one of my eyes."

Himeko did not respond to the comment because neither of them felt that it need a response. Chikane had the feeling that the blond did not want to speak of it any more than she had to so she kept silent until she could think of a different subject to discuss. It was not that she had no questions about the world, but she was not sure if there was anything she would ask that would hurt her friend unintentionally.

What a strange word that was... Friend. She had never had a friend and yet the two of them were almost instantly bonded with one another. Their relationship was just about that of friends who had known each other all of their life. Even in silence Chikane felt she knew everything that Himeko was thinking. On the surface the blond looked happy but as she continued to look Chikane saw loneliness and pain that the princess could not even begin to comprehend.

Chikane stopped and looked at Himeko seriously, "Just let me say something before we continue."

Himeko stopped along with the dark-haired woman and turned to her, "What is it?"

"We are friends right?"

There was a slightly hesitant nod, "Yeah."

"If that is the case then make me a promise," Chikane stared into those captivating amethyst eyes, "If you have a problem tell me about it. You are not alone anymore. I am your friend and that means I need to help you. I cannot help you if I you do not tell me what the problem is."

Himeko hesitated, "I can't agree to it. There are things that must be kept secret from you."

"You do not trust me?"

The blond shook her head, "It's not that, not totally, it's just that I can't tell humans some things."

"I get it, you have a secret society," Chikane commented.

"I would tell you if I could," Himeko tried desperately to let her friend know that she was serious, "I'm sure you have secrets you don't want to tell me. I'm the same way, so please understand."

Chikane smiled and gave Himeko a one armed hug, it was the best she could do with the baggage, "I got it, okay, so stop looking so pitiful. I am not going to suddenly hate you over something so small."

The two of them had been walking for a while and Himeko became aware that the night was gradually starting to give way to the dawn. Silently she motioned for Chikane to follow her into the thicker trees off to the side of the trail where it would be harder for them to be seen. The princess would be fine in the daylight but Himeko would be recognized right away as something not human. The trail disappeared and Chikane was almost immediately lost, but Himeko did not even pause to consider where she was going. Even her walk was confident and light, not a single sound being made as she crept through the dense forest. Before long the two of them exited into a small clearing where a camp had been set up. A humble tent sat next to a fire pit and a few pots and pans lay nearby.

"This is where I was living," Himeko said as she motioned towards the small camp ground.

As small as it was, to Chikane it seemed a sad replacement for her own room. Having never been outside the castle she wondered if she would be a burden on her friend. It seemed that Himeko was use to traveling alone and Chikane had not even the faintest clue of where to start when camping outside the castle.

"I might go back after all," The dark-haired girl said sullenly, "I'll probably be a burden on you."

Himeko looked at her in surprise, "Why?"

"I know many things but I have never put them to practical use," Chikane set her bag down, "The only things I can do well are archery and cooking. I should have thought about camping outside before I left."

The blond looked at the sullen young woman in front of her and smiled gently, "I think it's fine. Even though you don't know about it I'm sure you can learn since you are smart. Someone being raised to run a country has to know how to adapt to things they have never done. I'm sure you're as smart as you are beautiful and cool."

Chikane stared at her friend with an emotionless face for a second before she started to chuckle and then laugh out loud, "That is the funniest way I have ever been described. I love that about you, Himeko."

The blond blushed at the words and looked away, "Yeah, well there are many things I love about you, Chikane."

The laughter stopped suddenly.

Chikane stared at the woman for a second with a strange look on her face, causing Himeko to backtrack quickly, "I mean as a friend. I like you as a friend."

"Of course, because it would be strange for two girls to love each other like that," Chikane agreed nervously.

In her mind Himeko was thinking that it would be okay if she was a little strange. Part of her desperately wanted the princess to know what was in her heart. The other part wanted to keep the friendship they already had. It was the weak part of her that did not like conflict and would rather accept pain than cause disorder in her everyday life. If it was okay to keep a least one friend Himeko would accept the pain of the person she loved not realizing they were hurting her.

"You mind if I retire to the sleeping quarters?" Chikane asked, changing the subject suddenly.

Himeko looked at the small single tent and nodded, "That's fine, I'll sleep outside since there is only one sleeping bag."

Fixing her sapphire blue eyes on Himeko, Chikane looked serious, "I cannot accept that. You are not going to sleep outside just because of me."

"But that would mean we would be sleeping, you know, together," Himeko blushed slightly, "I just thought that you did not want to be that close."

Chikane sighed, "It's fine, just do not try anything weird while I am asleep."

"I wouldn't! That would be bad, I mean-"

"Stop," Chikane smiled lightly at her friend, "I am just joking. You really are a serious girl, am I right?"

Himeko did not know quite how to answer, "I guess so."

"That is fine," The princess placed a reassuring hand on Himeko's shoulder, "I'm sure you have different thoughts on what is funny since you are from outside the walls of the castle."

"Yeah," The voice that escaped from Himeko's mouth was not committed to her words of agreement.

Chikane sighed and said goodnight, knowing that anymore said would just make the situation worse off. It seemed that though she came from outside the walls of the castle, Himeko was strangely fragile when it came to her emotions. It seemed that the blond girl had not only been hurt physically but mentally as well. Part of Chikane wanted to hold the girl tight and whisper sweet words in her ear that would make her forget there was anything but her. Another part knew that there was no place in a friendship for such feelings to exist. She was not naive about the ways people thought of each other, there was no room for a simple friendship if she forced their relationship into something more. To force Himeko to love her would not be love but something evil and unkind. It would be something she did not even want to think about because that would be a step that she could never retrace.

Chikane lay down in the tend and let the bedding cover her body up to her neck before she closed her eyes and let sleep take her. She did not notice Himeko come in later and hesitantly climb into bed next to her, being careful not to wake her or get to close to her. The blond did not even sleep under the bedding that night but instead let the cool air seep into her skin as she studied her friends sleeping face. Again she wished they could be more than friends but put that thought out of her mind as she reminded herself that there was no way that could happen. Himeko would never be allowed that happiness, she was not that lucky. With one last resigned sigh, the blond climbed into the tend and did her best to allow Chikane a little room. It was difficult since it was a tent for one but eventually Himeko found a comfortable position and closed her eyes.

"Himeko," Chikane called softly as she drifted off to sleep.

The blond did not move but only mumbled from her position, "Yeah."

"Tomorrow we will have a long talk," Chikane turned and looked at the blond who was laying facing her, "I really want to know more about you."

With a smile, Himeko nodded slightly, her eyes still closed, "I want to know more about Chikane-chan also."

Chikane realized that her friend was still half asleep, it was strange though, that she found happiness when Himeko addressed her as she had. The dark haired girl smiled at her friend and bid her a goodnight so that she would have pleasant dreams. Then Chikane allowed sleep to carry her off into the world of dreams so she could, maybe, join her friend in the dreams she was having. The last thing on both of their minds as they had drifted off was that they would protect the happiness of the other.

Okay, sorry for the wait, the truth is that I have summer classes to attend so I was a little distracted with classwork, my job, and trying to keep up with the other things I enjoy doing for a hobby. Also, I had writers block and got lazy. Yeah, I was a mess but then again I did say this story would be released at an easier pace than the other one. I hope you enjoy this chapter and I will write the next one. I can not give you a time frame as I have been very scattered in everything I do lately so I am not sure when I will be able to complete the next chapter. To make up for the longer time from I will try to elongate the chapters so that there is more substance. Thank you for you patience and continuing to read the story.


End file.
